Applications and Assessment of Social Media in Pediatric Orthopedics: Scoping Review

With the continuous advancement of science and technology, the demand for health knowledge about pediatric orthopedics is also gradually growing. The traditional paper-based and multimedia health education models can no longer fully meet the needs of society. Fortunately, the emergence of social media has mitigated the problem of insufficient medical education resources. However, there is currently relatively little published evidence on the use of social media in pediatric orthopedics.

This study aimed to examine the current applications of social media in pediatric orthopedics and to evaluate the quality and readability of related online health information. Its purpose is to provide relevant evidence to promote the understanding and development of the field.

This review followed the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute reviewer manual. First, a literature search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases. The search time range was from the establishment of the databases to September 21, 2023. We endeavored to include research articles related to social media and involving pediatric orthopedics in the review. The literature was reviewed at the title, abstract, and full-text levels.

We included 35 of 3400 (1.03%) studies retrieved. Most of the articles used social media to help with medical staff and patient education and training (23/35, 66%) and to disseminate information (21/35, 60%), followed by helping medical staff collect data (8/35, 23%). Medical institutions and staff also used social media to increase attention (6/35, 17%), enhance social support (5/35, 14%), facilitate the recruitment of research participants (3/35, 9%), support professional development (3/35, 9%) and implement health intervention (2/35, 6%). Five general quality of information (QOI) tools, 7 specific QOI tools, and 6 readability tools were used in 12 studies analyzed for quality and readability, with overall quality being fair and readability exceeding the recommended level. According to the research data, people are increasingly interested in pediatric orthopedics on social media platforms and eager to obtain and learn relevant knowledge.

This scoping review found that social media has a growing body of literature on pediatric orthopedic conditions and is playing an increasingly important role in knowledge dissemination and education. A variety of tools are being used for assessing the QOI, but little attention has been paid to the readability of the information. The QOI was largely fair, with readability above the recommended level. Future research should further explore the role of social media in pediatric orthopedics and continue to optimize QOI and information readability.